Housing developers more concerned
about profits 02/10/1995 NST
THE issue of shoddy workmanship in houses has surfaced, once again. This time
around it was first brought up two weeks ago by the Minister of Housing and
Local Government. Given the numerous complaints from house buyers Datuk Dr
Ting Chew Peh said it was time for a review of the current warranty period
of 12 months. Perhaps it should be extend to 38 months. In reaction, the Housing
Developers' Association declared last Monday that a longer liability period
was not necessary.

Certificates of Fitness time
limit 03/10/1995 NST-LTIMES
THE Hulu Langat District Council is giving housing developers a time limit
for the issuance of certificates of fitness (CFs) after the delivery of vacant
occupancy to house buyers. Selangor State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Zainal
Abidin Ahmad said this was to help house buyers caught in the dilemma of only
receiving their house keys after the architect had recommended the vacant
occupancy

Ensuring conversion of land
status by developers 04/10/1995 NST
MALACCA, Tues. - The Malacca Government will take stringent measures to make
it mandatory for housing developers to have the land status converted from
agriculture to housing before any project can take off. Chief Minister Datuk
Haji Md Zin Abdul Ghani said today the State Government needed to update the
procedures in the implementation of housing projects to avoid loopholes and
ensure buyers get the best deal.

Speedier CFs and TCFs pledge
by Gombak Council 04/10/1995 MM
THE Gombak District Council hopes to issue temporary certificates of fitness
(TCFs) and certificates of fitness (CFs) within two weeks of receiving a project
architects' certification. Council president Ahmad Lattfi Hashim said this
is due to growing complaints from house buyers about not getting either certificate
when occupying their unit.

Highland Towers demolition
notice quashed 04/10/1995 NST
SHAH ALAM, Tues. - Owners of Highland Towers Blocks 2 and 3 today won their
first round in preventing the demolition of their former homes when the High
Court quashed a notice issued by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (AJMC)
in July last year. The notice had ordered that the blocks be either repaired
within three months or demolished.

City Plaza developers ordered
to stop digging 05/10/1995 NST
ALOR STAR, Wed. - Developers of the RM90 million multi-storey City Plaza commercial
complex cum luxury hotel here have been directed to stop all digging and water
pumping works at the construction site to avoid causing further structural
damage to adjoining buildings. State Local Government and Information Committee
chairman Abdullah Hasnan Kamaruddin said today the developers would be barred
from carrying out such works pending a study by an independent consultancy
firm.

Requirement for developers
05/10/1995 BT
ALL developers of highrise buildings in Kedah have been told to submit detailed
methods of controlling any effect that construction work may have on nearby
buildings and areas. They should do so before construction work began, State
Executive Councillor for Local Government and Information Abdullah Hasnan
Kamaruddin said yesterday. He said at present developers only put forward
proposals to limit vibrations while piling work was being done. "From now
on, the proposals should also cover ways of limiting the effects of excavation
work and pumping of water at construction sites on building structures and
soil water content in nearby areas," he told reporters in Alor Star. Abdullah
Hasnan was commenting on reports that cracks had appeared at Kota Setar Municipal
Council (MPKS) Complex here apparently due to piling work for the construction
of the MPKS Tower nearby. He said a stop-work order had been issued to the
project developer pending the completion of a geo-technical study by independent
consultant U.E.Kurnia Sdn Bhd. - Bernama

Kesas to look into complaints
05/10/1995 MM
WHILE the contractor for the Shah Alam Expressway has disclaimed responsibility
for cracks appearing in several Subang Jaya houses facing the project site,
the highway's developer has assured that the complaints are being investigated.
Concession-holder Kesas Sdn Bhd said it was waiting for the insurance adjusters
and supervising consultants to submit their findings.

Work on abandoned flats to
start soon 06/10/1995 NST-LTIMES
WORK will begin soon to revive the low-cost flat project at Taman Rampai in
Ampang, which was abandoned eight years ago. Member of Parliament for Ampang
Jaya Ong Tee Keat said the project, which has several phases, will be managed
by PA Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Hunt-Way Corporation Sdn Bhd.

Kompleks MPKS in no danger
of collapse, says committee chief 09/10/1995 NST
ALOR STAR, Sun. - Widespread rumours that Kompleks MPKS, Kedah's popular shopping-cum-entertainment
centre, has severe structural damage and in danger of collapse are not true,
State Local Government and Information Committee chairman Abdullah Hasnan
Kamaruddin said. "The rumours are absolute nonsense. The public should not
be unduly concerned or influenced by the widespread rumours that the complex
is about to collapse.

Gasing Heights fined for advertisement
offences 12/10/1995 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Wed. - A housing developer was today fined a total of RM20,000
by the magistrate's court here on 10 counts of contravening the provisions
pertaining to advertisements as specified in the Housing Developers (Control
and Licensing) Regulations 1989. Gasing Heights Sdn Bhd was charged with 10
counts of placing advertisements in four local dailies for a housing development
known as Bukit Gasing without including the selling price of each type of
housing accommodation and without including the number of units of each type
available on seven occasions between April 22, 1992 and April 21, 1993.

Developer given
ultimatum 12/10/1995 MM
THE developer of two 10-storey condominium blocks in Pandan Indah has been
given an ultimatum - rectify several structural defects and upgrade maintenance
and security or be hauled to court. "We have given them so much time to rectify
the problems and yet they have done a shoddy job," said Le Jardin Condominiums
residents' association secretary Janet Tang.

Faster processing for strata
titles 13/10/1995 BT
THE amendment to the Strata Title Act 1985 to be tabled in the forthcoming
parliamentary sitting starting next week, will, among other things, speed
up applications for strata titles, Land and Cooperative Development Minister
Datuk Osu Haji Sukam said yesterday. With the amendment, applications for
strata titles could be processed even before the Certificate of Fitness for
Occupation (CF) and final title (FT) for the building is issued, he said.

Simpler and faster processing
of strata titles for highrises 13/10/1995 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Thurs. - Developers of high rise buildings can apply for strata
titles while their projects are still in progress, once the Strata Titles
Act 1985 is amended. At present, they have to wait until their buildings are
completed and issued with certificates of fitness (CF) before applying for
such titles.

Stop these directors, MP appeals
to Housing Minister 14/10/1995 NST
BUKIT MERTAJAM, Fri. - The Government has been urged to prevent directors
of abandoned housing projects from joining other companies until they have
settled any financial obligations by way of irrecoverable loans from finance
bodies or as guarantors of irrecoverable loans. The Member of Parliament for
Bukit Mertajam Dr Tan Chong Keng, in making the call, also urged the Government
to suspend temporarily the operating permits of companies which employ directors
or guarantors of abandoned housing projects until they had fulfilled their
financial responsibilities with their former companies.

Don't impose new conditions,
urge developers 14/10/1995 NST
KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - The Housing and Local Government Ministry has been urged
to ensure local authorities do not impose new conditions on developers after
the plans have been approved. The Housing Developers Association of Malaysia
(HDA) said a major cause of developers failing to comply with the requirements
for issuing certificates of fitness was because many local authorities imposed
unreasonable conditions.

Act needs tightening to protect
house buyers 16/10/1995 NST
IN spite of all the legislation and steps taken by the Ministry of Housing
and Local Government, complaints by house buyers against developers are still
prevaqlent. Major complaints such as structural defects, shoddy workmanship
and delay in the issuance of certificate of fitness are, more often than not,
justified.

Need for longer liability period
16/10/1995 MB
CONTRACTORS have a joke that goes like this: Heaven and Earth struck a deal
to jointly build a bridge to link the two places. Earth's contractors soon
had their half completed only to discover that Heaven had yet to start work
on its section. Mystified, Earth called Heaven to enquire about the delay
and was told, `Sorry, Earth, but we can't find any contractors in Heaven.'
Many housebuyers who have suffered the heartaches and headaches of defects
in their houses will readily agree that contractors and their brother developers
may not be the best qualified to reside in a heavenly abode. Tough-talking
and hard-driving contractors and developers will be the first to admit they
are no saints. Neither are they all outright scoundrels. Were they the former,
there would be only happy homeowners occupying beautifully designed and constructed
houses affordable to anyone who desire to own the roofs above their heads;
were they the latter, our buildings would be collapsing around our ears and
our roads sinking beneath our feet.

HDA lauds amendments to Act
19/10/1995 BT
THE amendment to the Strata Titles Act 1985, which seeks to expedite the issuance
of strata titles, will facilitate a faster formation of management corporations
for subdivided buildings to service the structure. In welcoming moves to amend
the law, the Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (HDA) said the necessary
management corporations could not be formed until the requisite strata titles
had been issued.

Ting briefed on status of Indera
Mahkota flats 20/10/1995 NST
KUANTAN, Thurs. - Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Dr Ting Chew
Peh has been briefed on the preliminary findings of a technical committee
formed by the Pahang Government to conduct a study on the overall condition
of Bandar Indera Mahkota flats, near here. Pahang Menteri Besar Tan Sri Mohd
Khalil Yaakob said yesterday the briefing was conducted recently by State
Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Bahari Tan Sri Yahaya.

Errant builders deserve little
sympathy 20/10/1995 NST
WITH certificate of fitness approvals on the track, properties can at least
in theory receive official blessings within 14 days. Unfortunately, property
fit for occupation is often not the same as one fit to occupy, unless one
accepts that a leaking roof, cracks in walls and other similar legacies of
contractors' handiwork are all part and parcel of buying a new property. It
is therefore no great surprise when developers cry foul that the Government
is studying proposals to extend the defect liability period from one to three
or more years.

No time limit for housing liability
20/10/1995 NST
HOUSING developers are liable for structural defects although the problem
occurred after the 12-month warranty period, Housing and Local Government
Deputy Minister Datuk Tajol Rosli Mohamad Ghazali said yesterday. He said
there was no time limit for liability due to structural defects as in the
Highland Towers incident.

Certificates for each stage
of construction soon 21/10/1995 NST
JOHOR BARU, Fri. - The Government plans to further regulate housing development
in the country to ensure developers build according to specifications at every
stage of the construction process. The Housing and Local Government Ministry's
secretary-general Datuk Umar Abu said new conditions were being formulated
in the light of the Highlands Towers tragedy in 1993 and the recurring cases
of landslips and cracks in buildings.

Report on centre's safety ready
only next month 21/10/1995 NST
ALOR STAR, Fri. - An independent construction consultant engaged to conduct
a safety study on the popular Kompleks MPKS shopping-cum- commercial centre
here following widespread speculation that the building was in impending danger
of collapse, will complete its report next month. State Local Government and
Information Committee chairman Abdullah Hasnan Kamaruddin said the consultants
had asked for more time as they could not meet the dateline of Oct 15.

Law firms owe RM15m
22/10/1995 NSUNT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. - Six law firms, which had acted for banks in the purchase
of government low-cost houses in Perak, have failed to hand over RM15.69 million
to the State Government between 1990 and 1992. The State Secretary has already
lodged a police report against one while reminders have been sent to the others.

House collapses after downpour
24/10/1995 MM
IT is one thing to have the carpet pulled from under you but it is quite another
to have the kitchen floor collapsing while you are getting ready to prepare
dinner. That was exactly what happened to Lim Tai, 78, as she was about to
cook when the kitchen floor and half her house in Kampung Cheras Baru gave
way under her feet.

Lawyers abscond with Perak's
RM10m 25/10/1995 NST
IPOH, Tues. - Lawyers in an Ipoh-based law firm have absconded with about
RM10 million due to the Perak Government for the purchase of low-cost houses.
The firm was one of six which had acted for banks in the purchase of the houses

Landslip jitters
26/10/1995 MM
ABOUT 20 families have vacated their two-room flats in Taman Mulia Jaya in
Ampang Jaya following a landslip that damaged the cement skirting of their
block on Deepavali eve. Another 50 families in Block D were told by Ampang
Jaya Municipal Council officers they could take temporary shelter at the parking
basement of an unaffected block as a precautionary measure.

Architects probe cause of cracks
26/10/1995 NST-LTIMES
PETALING Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ) architects are investigating claims
by residents of Jalan SS14/7, Subang Jaya that cracks at their homes were
caused by work on the Shah Alam Expressway (SAE). Subang Jaya State Assemblyman
and MPPJ councillor Lee Hwa Beng said the council had directed its architects
to ascertain the cause of the cracks and their severity.

Buyers to apply for funds to
revive abandoned project 31/10/1995 NST
TAIPING, Mon. - House buyers of the abandoned Taman Bistari low-cost housing
project in Kamunting here have agreed to apply for funds from the Finance
Ministry to enable a new developer to revive the project. They have also agreed
to give Kamunting State Assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Malek Hanafiah the right
to liaise with the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the State Government
on the revival.

Infrastructure requirement
for CFs 31/10/1995 NST-LTIMES
THE Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) will ensure that developers provide
required infrastructure in new housing projects before issuing certificates
of fitness (CF). Council president Abdul Karim Munisar said it was important
for infrastructure to be built and maintained properly to prevent incidents
like landslips.